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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23285548">Sixty Seconds (Chaelisa)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamofshadows/pseuds/Dreamofshadows'>Dreamofshadows</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>BLACKPINK (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Business Jennie Kim, F/F, Florist Park Chaeyoung, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Photographer Lalisa Manoban, Writer Kim Jisoo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:27:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,682</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23285548</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamofshadows/pseuds/Dreamofshadows</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"with wide eyes she awoke, not knowing who had just passed by..."</p><p>maybe if park chaeyoung had woken just a minute earlier, she would've looked outside her window and laid eyes upon her soulmate.</p><p> </p><p>[cross-posted from Wattpad]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jennie Kim/Kim Jisoo, Jennie Kim/Park Chaeyoung | Rosé, Kim Jisoo/Lalisa Manoban | Lisa, Lalisa Manoban | Lisa/Park Chaeyoung | Rosé, Park Chaeyoung | Rosé/Park Sooyoung | Joy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>112</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sixty Seconds (Chaelisa)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>original idea by @moonsume on wattpad</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>With wide eyes she awoke, not knowing who had just passed by....</em>
</p><p>Her heart pounded.</p><p>It was the same dream again.</p><p>Actually there was no dream. She'd be sleeping and suddenly that strange tightening in her chest happened.</p><p>Jennie worried that it might be something of medical concern when Chaeyoung mentioned it casually in passing, but Chaeyoung didn't think so.</p><p>
  <em>There was something about the persistent sensation that lingered, as though she were missing something.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Something important....    </em>
</p><p>Chaeyoung sighed, got out of bed and pulled on her dressing gown. She stretched, patting her bed hair as she approached the curtains and drew them back.</p><p>Golden shafts of sunlight poured in, bathing her bedroom with warmth. Chaeyoung smiled, humming as she savoured the morning light. She peered out into the streets, as the city woke up and the hustle and bustle started to increase.</p><p>Chaeyoung wandered to the little kitchen island and brewed herself some coffee. She returned to the window and sat on the window seat, sipping and watching the city go about its business.</p><p>It was her favourite past-time: people watching. So many secret moments she saw from her little window high above the streets.</p><p>That guy vaguely bopping his head with Air pods in his ears, a tiny smile breaking across his face.</p><p>That little woman walking out of the store hauling so many bulging plastic bags Chaeyoung wondered if 1) the woman had bought the store 2) whether the bags would burst.</p><p>Two strangers greeting each other because their respective dogs were suddenly sniffing the other dog's butt.</p><p>The little old man beating his head because some coins fell out of his pocket.</p><p>That sneaky kid in a hoodie adding some artsy graffiti to a wall...</p><p>When she learned about Chaeyoung's habit, Jennie commented that her business partner was the romantic sensitive type, easily affected by the littlest mundane things.</p><p>Yet Jennie—being a pragmatic girl—would never understand how observing such little private moments made Chaeyoung fall in love a little more, each day, with the ordinary things that makes us human.</p><p>Unbidden, the memory of the strange clenching within her chest rose to the surface of her consciousness. Chaeyoung pondered about it as she sipped the last of her coffee.</p><p>It had started quite recently, with her move to Seoul.</p><p>Jennie had begged her long and hard to go back to Korea, after studying together in Australia.</p><p>
  <em>("It's the perfect place to get started on your shop! Trust me, it's gonna blow up! We'll be makin' it rain dollars baby!")</em>
</p><p>Although Chaeyoung thought Jennie was exaggerating, she moved back with her friend to Seoul regardless, trusting in Jennie's keen eye for opportunity.</p><p>And to her surprise, the business did flourish, just like the flowers it sold to customers that walked by. People were drawn to the colourful, vibrant blooms; the exotic fragrances; and the shy, soft-spoken owner.</p><p>Chaeyoung's flower shop may be thriving, but her love life was, as Jennie put it, drier than a sub-saharan desert well that hasn't seen rain in five years and three months.</p><p>(<em>"Weirdly specific,"</em> Chaeyoung mumbles every time Jennie brought it up. <em>"It is what it is, darling,"</em> Jennie purrs back, and Chaeyoung had to agree.)</p><p>Chaeyoung returned to the present with a shake of her head as she got up to dress and head down to the shop.</p><p>For some reason today, though, her mind couldn't help but wander back to the tightening sensation that always seemed to happen just before she was roused from her sleep...</p><p>&gt;</p><p>After Sooyoung, Chaeyoung hadn't actively pushed herself to get back in the love game.</p><p>Jennie had introduced her to many admirers and hopefuls at various social functions, but Chaeyoung never reciprocated their advances.</p><p>Even the most persistent suitors eventually gave up.</p><p>Park Sooyoung, a goddess in Chaeyoung's starry gaze, had cast her eyes on the bashful, blushing girl back in their second year at college in Sydney.</p><p>By some strange intuition, Jennie (back then Chaeyoung's Korean-born roommate) had expressed her reservations regarding Sooyoung, but the younger girl was too far besotted to listen.</p><p>Being Sooyoung's girlfriend was a blissful fever dream—going from one college party to the next; having steamy make out sessions in the library; drunk off each other's scent as they cuddled in bed in the morning post-glow; sharp and witty debates on every topic underneath the sun; alcohol residue thrumming in their veins; exotic burst of summer on their tongues....</p><p>Yes, it had all been like a mid-summer night's dream—hot, messy and over before you know it.</p><p>Sooyoung left to go abroad—Chaeyoung only found out after waking up naked in her own bed, with a short dry note that had her wandering around in a zombie daze for days. She couldn't even cry—she was too shocked by the abruptness of it all.</p><p><em>I'm sorry I can't take you with me. </em> <em>You'd only want to come back and this is too great an opportunity to miss. I still love you and I always will, but I'm letting you go. </em> <em>Love XXXX</em></p><p>
  <em>S.</em>
</p><p>But as we said before, Chaeyoung is the romantic type: she believed Sooyoung would come back and beg for forgiveness. Chaeyoung was willing to give her (and themselves) a second chance. Sooyoung may not have been her first love, but Chaeyoung was dead certain she was her last.</p><p>No matter how much Jennie tried to firmly explain (and she did mean it in all sense of the word) that Sooyoung wasn't returning, Chaeyoung refused to listen and held out on the supposed love she had shared with the other girl.</p><p>Chaeyoung waited for two solid years.</p><p>The killing blow was dealt one morning when Jennie appeared very fidgety and tense as they waited for their professor to show up to class.</p><p>
  <em>"What's up Jen?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh nothing."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nothing is ever nothing with you. What? Some celeb died? Shawn proposed to Camila?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She was surprised to see Jennie flush a deep red. "Huh? He did?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Er...not quite..." Jennie said meekly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Chaeyoung shrugged, taking her phone out for some early morning instagram scrolling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And then her heart stopped beating when she saw the headline.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Millionaire movie director Y. Chu tied the knot! Who is the mysterious lucky lady?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Chaeyoung's eyes started to water the moment she took in curves she knew so intimately, with that familiar face and eyes and nose and lips all belonging to the woman she had worshipped and adored.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For who else could the mysterious woman be but her Sooyoung, no longer her Sooyoung?</em>
</p><p>And Chaeyoung woke up from her limbo, finally free.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>"Sorry sorry! Coming through! Sorry ma'am! Terribly sorry mister! Uh, s'cuse me!"</p><p>Pedestrians quickly cleared the way for the loud, gangly girl rushing past armed with several tripods under each arm, weighed down by bulky camera bags. She tottered and staggered but carried on, puffing like a marathon runner.</p><p>Her round glasses were perched dangerously close to the tip of her nose. Tendrils of tawny blonde hair escaped the messy ponytail streaming behind her. Her clothes had a messy, tearaway appearance, like the attractive girl got dressed in terrible haste in the dark.</p><p>Which was exactly what happened every day without fail to our aspiring model photographer, Lalisa Manoban Bruschweiler.</p><p>And before you ask, yes she's perfectly capable of carrying all her equipment, thank you very—</p><p>Until she trips or crashes into a street pole that is, which happened each day as well, without fail.</p><p>But our Lalisa, or Lisa as people called her for short, is a sunshine, no matter what happens.</p><p>So with every crash, bash and tumble, Lisa usually ends up on the ground surrounded by her (miraculously) intact camera equipment, (miraculously) intact glasses and a rather sore backside. Her friends back in Thailand used to say Lisa might lose her head one day. They also expressed disbelief at how a person can be so clumsy and yet have her possessions remain wholly intact.</p><p><em>Half and half,</em> they used to tell her. <em>Half lucky, half unlucky.</em></p><p>She had even consulted a fortune teller about the matter. The psychic suggested changing her name from Pranpriya and thus, the name Lalisa was born as her rebranded namesake, to help in the luck department.</p><p>It didn't stop her clumsiness though.</p><p>A dopey smile spread across Lisa's face as she sat surrounded by her equipment on the pavement, until it cracked in half like a coconut to reveal her pearly whites.</p><p>Lisa tilted her head back and laughed her first for the day, her giggles too infectious for passers-by not to notice. They hid their smiles, shaking their heads.</p><p>Because Lisa knows how to laugh at her clumsy ass self, and she knows she's gonna be scolded and berated by her boss again. But she more than made up for her clumsiness with her passion and dedication to her job.</p><p>Thus with a new bruise added to the collection, and a determination to rival that of every person braving the rush hour, she crams in her arms what she can with the help of kindly strangers and lopes off to catch the metro.</p><p>Which due to the unlucky side of her, she always seems to miss.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>Now our Lalisa may seem to have an affinity for bizarre little encounters with street poles or other street furniture for that matter, but despite the odd knock to her head now and then, she wasn't an idiot.</p><p>Or so she insists, we'll just have to take her word for it.</p><p>See, as she frustratingly tried to explain to her unfazed roommate, she always had this strange tight feeling in her chest when she rushed to work. It would appear briefly and then disappear in a blink.</p><p>"Indigestion."</p><p>"No what, I don't even eat breakfast—"</p><p>"Inspiration."</p><p>"Soo, what even—"</p><p>"Infra-radial dissection?"</p><p>"Is that a thing? Jisoo you're not even being serious, are you?"</p><p>Jisoo—the writer wannabe who currently had that pipe dream on hold while she slaved away as a magazine editor's underling—shrugged.</p><p>She tossed aside the empty cup of noodles after slurping down the residual liquid at the bottom and reached out for her third ramen pot of the night.</p><p>Lisa and her usually had such ramen binges when a) they felt like procrastinating, which led to b) they were feeling very stressed, or c) they were in the mood for deep thinking and deep conversations, accentuated by noodle overindulgence that seemed to have a similar effect of being drunk on the pair.</p><p>"I'm no doctor," Jisoo shrugged again.</p><p>"I'm pretty sure it's nothing medical," Lisa decided thoughtfully, finishing her statement with a mouthful of noodles.</p><p>"Okay then."</p><p>"Jisoo, you're useless."</p><p>"So says my boss," Jisoo replied, "so says my family, so say all my exes, so says the whole damn world! But you know what? All I care about is noodles and chicken. They never let me down. And you know who else lets us down? Capitalism! If only they would try and—"</p><p>But Lisa had learned to tune out the older girl when Jisoo went off on one of her economic rants.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>To illustrate how serious she was, Lisa had even made a noticeboard with tacks pointing out several nuances to the phenomenon.</p><p>When she showed it to her roommate after their noodle binge, Jisoo had laughed, but not unkindly, more like the hysterical kill-me-now agonised kind of laughter. And then she disappeared into her room, after which came a series of thumping knocks on the door.</p><p>Lisa supposed it was yet another article deadline driving her roommate up the wall, literally.</p><p>Now Lisa had noticed that:</p><p>a) in the beginning she had been taking a different route to catch the metro, and felt nothing.</p><p>b) she started taking this route because it was supposedly shorter, since even using the old route she had nearly always (read always) been late for work.</p><p>c) she felt a bizarre compelling sixth sense dissuading her from changing routes.</p><p>d) the strange tightening sensation was accompanied by the echoes of a lingering sense of nostalgia, a longing for something, something missing....</p><p>e) the sensation occurred on her way to work and on her way back from work.</p><p>f) nothing happened on her off days because she didn't pass through that particular route.</p><p>Lisa scratched her head as she observed the various Post-its, tacks and colourful ribbons decorating the green felt of the board.</p><p>She had been living in Korea ever since her family emigrated from Thailand—she was thirteen at the time. The sensations started around six months ago, when she moved in with Jisoo and changed her route for her morning commute to work.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe Jisoo was right? Should she talk to a doctor? Maybe the fine dust was getting to her?</em>
</p><p>But Lisa had a gut feeling—this wasn't her body sending her a warning signal.</p><p>
  <em>This was something more intimate, on a far deeper layer then merely flesh, she was sure of it....</em>
</p><p>After some careful thinking, she decided on her next plan of action: investigating the exact point when the sensation occurred. And to do that while still making it to work on time, Lisa needed to have been sound asleep three hours ago. The rueful girl scratched the nape of her neck and decided to leave it up to her morning self.</p><p>"Counting on you to wake up, girl," Lisa muttered to herself as she fell back on the pillows.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>Needless to say, her morning self did not wake up on time, despite several alarms.</p><p>"Aissshh!" Lisa huffed as she ran.</p><p>And then suddenly she gasped.</p><p>
  <em>It was happening!</em>
</p><p>Lisa screeched to a halt, the tightening never fading as she stopped directly in front of what appeared to be a flower shop.</p><p>"Huh, don't think I ever noticed this before..." Lisa muttered, squinting up at the nameplate. She had always been rushing to and fro, no time to stop and appreciate her surroundings.</p><p>Experimenting, she walked some distance until the tightening faded. Fighting against her instinct to rush ahead and catch her train, Lisa walked back to the shop, whereupon the sensation returned.</p><p>
  <em>Aha! So this is where it's originating from!</em>
</p><p>Lisa pushed her glasses up her nose as best as she could without dispersing every article she was holding on the ground.</p><p>"Roses....are....rosie?" Lisa read off the nameplate with a thoughtful frown. "Hmm. Quite an avant-garde name, very modern. It has quite an international feel to it too....who runs this place?"</p><p>The small card at the glass door said, in beautiful printed golden calligraphy, that the shop doesn't open until eight and then closes at eight in the evening.</p><p>
  <em>Eight in the evening huh? She could make that time. Maybe she should check it out.</em>
</p><p>The tight clenching in her chest was still there, still persistent. Lisa patted her heart like one pets an upset puppy.</p><p>"It's okay buddy, we have a lead. We have something to work on." She looked up, past the shop and up to the apartment above it.</p><p>She thought she saw a wisp of white satin curtain billowing out as the owner opened the window.</p><p>But Lisa didn't stay around to see who the owner was—she was very very late.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>"Chaeyoung, it's the next step!" Jennie was saying excitedly over dinner.</p><p>She had stopped by Chaeyoung's flat as she was wont to do on weekends. "I actually can't believe we're gonna expand! Oh it's going to be such fun, we're actually moving to new headquarters! And then go even bigger and then, oh then we're gonna have to contact all our suppliers and order QUADRUPLE the amount of flowers we usually bring in! And then....then the Park-Kim business is gonna go national franchise baby! Maybe even international!" Jennie proclaimed triumphantly, holding aloft a baby carrot skewered on a fork.</p><p>She noticed Chaeyoung wasn't sharing in her enthusiasm. The younger girl toyed with her chicken breast, lost in thought.</p><p>"Huh? Chaeyoung?" Jennie said in concern. She lowered her fork. "Hey. Talk to me."</p><p>"I..."</p><p>"This is what you wanted, no?" Jennie said softly.</p><p>"Oh yes, I'm happy," Chaeyoung smiled. "It's just....I will miss...this place. It's been my home—"</p><p>"—for a couple months only," Jennie dismissed, but not unkindly. "You get attached too easily huh? But trust me, it will be better once we move you to a new airy place, away from this hellhole—Chaeyoung?"</p><p>Chaeyoung had suddenly pushed back her chair and dashed to the window, throwing open the glass panes and leaning out into the street, eyes searching frantically.</p><p><em>Where are you? Where are you?</em> her heart cried. It was evening, past closing time, and the streetlights didn't help to illuminate the faces of people walking below.</p><p>Chaeyoung's breathing was ragged.</p><p>"Chaeng! What's happening—" Jennie was next to her side in a blink, holding her. "Chaeyoung..."</p><p>"They're...gone..." The younger girl slumped in the window seat. "I always miss them..."</p><p>"Who, you were waiting for a customer?" Jennie, asked in confusion. "We can go searching after them, it's no big deal. If they left their phone number—"</p><p>"No unnie." Chaeyoung raised her face as she calmed down, her breathing slowing. "Remember that funny sensation I feel in my chest? It's...I think it's trying to lead me to someone. I'm searching for a person. That's what the sensation in my chest means."</p><p>"Huh?" Jennie goggled then laughed nervously. "What, you heard a voice or something?"</p><p>Chaeyoung peered out into the night, watching the distant lights of skyscrapers. "I don't know...but it's like...I was compelled to check out here. My mind...I kept thinking where are you? It's looking for someone...important."</p><p>"Hmm," Jennie said. She peered at the other girl closely. "You sure it's not indigestion making you I dunno....hallucinate?"</p><p>"Unnie," Chaeyoung groaned.</p><p>"I wouldn't know, I'm no doctor!"</p><p>&gt;</p><p>"Useless, stupid, idiot, moron, brainless, retarded," Lisa chanted as she paced about her room. She had missed her train and of course, the shop had closed by then. Lisa marched by it sadly, not even giving it a second glance.</p><p>
  <em>Couldn't she do something right for once, instead of being clowned by the universe all the time?</em>
</p><p>If only Lisa had paused for a minute, a mere sixty seconds, she would have glimpsed her desperate soulmate flinging open the window and look down upon her.</p><p>Life would have been so much easier.</p><p>Maybe they would fallen in love at first sight. Maybe they would have stared at each other as a sudden rush of clarity shattered the veil of obliviousness and for the first time, they could see beyond. Maybe Lisa would have run away, only to pluck up her courage the next day and the next and the one after that to actually approach Chaeyoung and perhaps, strike up a conversation. Have a laugh. Invite to a coffee. Trip, blush and laugh some more with a similarly enamoured Chaeyoung.</p><p>Maybe they would have even have ended up together.</p><p>Who knows what could have happened? Our story would be so much shorter, no?</p><p>But you see, the red thread of fate hadn't quite come undone yet—a few crucial knots remain tangled.</p><p>Our two souls remain blissfully ignorant of their infuriatingly close yet so frustratingly far proximity from each other, orbiting one another without knowing.</p><p>As with many a case of soul mates, it is always a matter of <em>if only</em> and <em>what if</em>. In other words, a case of near-meetings and near-misses.</p><p>And so thus an infinite cycle may continue through all lifetimes, an endless sequence of 'almost' and 'nearly' but never quite there. Until somehow that cycle is broken by one single action that wasn't dictated by Fate but instead, initiated by one of the soulmates themselves, which action eventually snowballs into them either coming together or else breaking apart, for good.</p><p>Our story has one tiny exception—two soulmates were involved in catalysing the destruction of this said cycle.</p><p>Hint: Not Chaeyoung or Lisa.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>Moving day loomed closer and closer, too soon for Chaeyoung's liking. Everything was packed and ready for the trucks, courtesy of Jennie.</p><p>But then, quick and efficient was Jennie's style, and probably it was the reason why their burgeoning business had grown so large. They simply couldn't keep up with the demand just the two of them—they needed to hire more people, use more resources and in turn, house all the personnel and workers.</p><p>Although happy her business was thriving so much that it could now even open other stores and be considered a franchise, Chaeyoung wasn't as enthusiastic about becoming the head of a company, overseeing paperwork all day long.</p><p>She loved being in the shop, talking to the flowers, tending to them, preparing bouquets for customers, chatting with a few regulars about anything plant-related, and even having time to have a cup of tea with some of them.</p><p>Chaeyoung relished the human connection and down-to-earth aspect of running her florist shop. Being a CEO or director would distance herself from all that...</p><p>She sighed and got back to packing her belongings, taping down the flaps and scrawling with her marker on top.</p><p><em>Not much to do about it,</em> she thought. <em>Everything's been decided. Jennie's happy as a Joker. As for myself, I could always pop into a shop incognito, sometimes, maybe.</em></p><p>&gt;</p><p>"No," Lisa whispered. She couldn't believe her eyes.</p><p>Only yesterday, she had walked past the shop, everything seemed like it was business as usual. After that time when she decided she was going inside the shop to check out more about the place, only to be late, she had sincerely tried to re-visit.</p><p>She had failed, again and again.</p><p>Sometimes it was the long hours of shooting, sometimes it was hissy, stuck-up models, sometimes it was her boss, sometimes it was the metro—be that as it may, Lisa could never make it back to the shop on time.</p><p>It was as though the universe itself was preventing her from walking into that shop.</p><p>But she wasn't giving up just yet—she took comfort in the fact that the sensation in her chest appeared regularly once she walked by. It meant all was well.</p><p>Today was her off day, and Lisa was a girl on a mission. The mission lasted approximately until she walked up to the shop and discovered a large FOR SALE sign emblazoned over the door, which was padlocked.</p><p>And in Lisa's chest rested an aching emptiness, deep and visceral.</p><p>
  <em>It almost felt like she lost someone.</em>
</p><p>Lisa clutched her chest, wanting to tear out the heavy rock resting on her heart. She pressed her eyes shut to stop the tears from escaping. <em>Why was she even crying?</em></p><p>Defeated, Lisa turned on her heels and headed back.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>"Kim!"</p><p>A distant crash, and Jisoo came running into her boss's office, clutching a clipboard to her chest.</p><p>"Yes sir?"</p><p>"The magazine is organising an editorial special in a week's time, covering the topic of young minds behind up and coming businesses. I want you to cover this particular one," he pointed at a blown-up photo of a stunningly gorgeous young woman with an intense gaze. "Their business is just about to start a franchise so we—"</p><p><em>Whew,</em> Jisoo thought, tearing her gaze away from the woman's photo as she swallowed, <em>is the boss trying to set me up?</em></p><p>"No I'm not," her boss grinned making Jisoo clap a hand to her mouth. "I do know she's single though, but can't say about her preferences, if you get my drift."</p><p>"Right, uh...should I organise a time to meet, then?"</p><p>"Everything's settled Kim, you'll be meeting her in the company lounge. No funny business here," he added with a warning tone.</p><p>"Cut me some slack boss, I can't help it if the ladies can't keep their hands off this masterpiece." Jisoo protested, making him chuckle.</p><p>Her boss was in a good mood today, seeing how he was playing along to her banter.</p><p>"Go write your draft of questions for the interview, I want it on my desk by lunch. Here's the file for your perusal."</p><p>Jisoo may grumble and complain about her boss, but he helped out his workers a lot and for that, she had to give him credit.</p><p>Jisoo wandered back to her desk, flipping through the file with interest.</p><p>"Hmm....born in Korea...tertiary education in Sydney, Australia.... nice...does that mean she'll have that sexy Aussie accent? That would be a bonus....graduated with full honours, valedictorian too? Look at that, she's younger than me and already so successful!...one half of a business powerhouse duo...the face of the brand...worth in excess of $8 million...private love life...oh she's a model too? Oh I see, past features...mhm....cold yet alluring aura...so hot, jeez...damn all these sexy photos, she should be a model already...."</p><p>Jisoo smiled again at the profile photo clipped to the front of her file, highly impressed and highly aroused.</p><p>"I look forward to meeting you, Jennie Kim."</p><p>&gt;</p><p>Fast forward to the interview where Jisoo had, as promised, kept the meeting strictly professional, although she was dying on the inside—the woman was so damn confident and sultry <em>and was that a god damn lip bite? Put that tongue away missy!</em></p><p><em>Keep it together, Jisoo, keep it together</em>, she scolded herself inwardly. <em>How desperate are you, jeez? And for heaven's sake, why did the young business woman have to be so damn smart and sharp, on top of looking like she stepped off the runway of some fashion house? That pencil skirt riding up those silky smooth legs...</em></p><p>"Eyes are up here."</p><p>Jisoo bit back a curse, raising her face only for her eyes to collide with that self-assured smirk that hadn't left Jennie's mouth, her feline eyes zeroing in on Jisoo as the latter rushed to school her features after the shock.</p><p>But it was too late—she had been caught.</p><p>Jennie knew she looked hella fine, and she knew her effect on Jisoo. Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind—on the contrary, from what Jisoo could gather from Jennie's non-verbals, the younger woman actually seemed to find it entertaining.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe she likes it when everybody falls at her feet, Jisoo wondered despondently, maybe she tramples and rejects them as easily as choosing the next sock....</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And why do I even care? It's not like I'm such a saint either...</em>
</p><p>"My apologies, Ms Kim," Jisoo said smoothly, although she didn't regret anything—she knew what, or rather who, she was going fantasise about for the next few days.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe she was really desperate, acting like a total creep—</em>
</p><p>"Well if that is all, I shall take my leave now. You know, schedules and such..." Jennie sat up and held out her hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you Jisoo. Thank you for having me and making me feel so welcome."</p><p>"Likewise Ms Kim," Jisoo smiled warmly, shaking the hand offered, "and all the best for you and the business."</p><p>Their hands dropped but nobody walked away. Jisoo thought it would be impolite to immediately turn away from her guest so she was expecting the younger girl to make a move and leave.</p><p>The younger girl certainly made a move, but definitely not what Jisoo had been expecting.</p><p>"May I speak informally with you, now that the interview is over?" said the brunette, eyes watching Jisoo closely.</p><p>"We were actually like that the whole interview Ms Kim," Jisoo returned.</p><p>The corners of Jennie's mouth lifted in a faint smile. "Indeed. So I suppose it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I were to invite you to a casual drink with me?"</p><p>"No not at all—<em>wait what?</em> "</p><p>Jisoo goggled at Jennie, her insides exploding into mayhem as she tried to regain a grip on her situation. <em>Jennie Kim was asking her out? For a drink? Was this a dream? A joke? Did she mean as friends? Or is she somehow interested in me?</em></p><p>Jennie held out a hand and clutched Jisoo's wrist, bringing the older girl back to Earth with a jolt.</p><p>"I have heard interesting things about you, Kim Jisoo. You editor praised you highly when he was explaining the nature of this interview over the phone. And up close...," Jennie's eyes roved over the entire figure of Jisoo, blatantly staring.</p><p>The pointy tongue reappeared, smoothing over those sinful, ruby red lips.</p><p>"I suppose I can count myself...intrigued," Jennie said at last, with a hint of a mischievous glint in her eyes.</p><p><em>Error 404: Thought_not_found.</em> Jisoo's brain had short-circuited. She had a weakness for confident girls like Jennie who knew what they wanted and got it.</p><p>
  <em>Jennie's definitely into girls.</em>
</p><p>It would be Jisoo's utmost pleasure to unravel more of this exquisite and luscious sex-on-legs personally gift-wrapped by Satan himself and sent directly up from down below to seduce her, but Jisoo didn't give a damn right now—if she was going to be damned, then hell, she was down for it willingly.</p><p>"Hey, you can always decline—"</p><p>"Friday at ten sounds good?" Jisoo interrupted, "wherever you want is fine by me."</p><p>Jennie blinked and then her face broke into a genuine gummy smile that made Jisoo internally swoon. "Oh great! Would you prefer a good old soju bar or some fancy-high class lounge?"</p><p>Jennie's nose crinkled. "Uh...personally, I don't like the lounges. Too stiff and proper. I like umm...having a beat and some drink to uh...dance..."</p><p><em>Duality</em>, Jisoo observed with rising interest, <em>she turned shy and adorable in a blink.</em></p><p>"A soju bar sounds great," Jisoo said genuinely and held out her phone. "Uhh, can you type your number so we can um...talk more perhaps? And decide about which bar for Friday. I don't want to keep you—"</p><p>Jennie beamed and took out her own phone for Jisoo to type her number in it.</p><p>Jisoo typed <em><strong>Sooooyaaaaaaa</strong></em> followed by a sequence of emojis. Jennie's mouth quirked at the corner when she received it back.</p><p>"I'll text you," Jennie said, before bowing and striding out.</p><p>Jisoo wandered back to her desk in a daze. After half an hour straight of staring into space and pinching herself, she shook her head. The whole experience had been nice but Jennie was a CEO on the rise, she wasn't going to associate with someone like Jisoo.</p><p>"She's not gonna text back," Jisoo said grumpily, resting her forehead on her arms on the table. "Face it Soo, you're small fry next to her."</p><p>Her phone buzzed and Jisoo reached out an arm, entered the password with her eyes closed and brought the phone next to her face.</p><p>"Yah, if you call me one more time about the stupid eggs on toast, I swear to chicken kebabs I'll fry your fingers off!"</p><p>She was mortified to hear a low chuckle, deeper and huskier than Lisa's voice. Jisoo shot up from the desk and gazed at her phone with her jaw slack.</p><p>Jennie hadn't just texted—she called.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>"Stop your grouching, you should be happy it's stopped happening!"</p><p>Lisa frowned at Jisoo, toying with her noodles. "You don't get it do you? You're too busy fantasising on your girlfriend and thinking of all the ways you're gonna have her to think about little old me and my feelings."</p><p>"Okay first off, she's not my girlfriend—"</p><p>"Yet."</p><p>"—and second, I'm not fantasising about that....well just a little....well yeah I am....a lot..." Jisoo kept on adding to her confession as Lisa flashed her a smug look.</p><p>"But that doesn't mean I don't care about you!" Jisoo protested. "Look, I'm just happy it's nothing medical, like you don't have cancerous growth or heart attack symptoms, heaven forbid. So...that's why I suppose I'm not that concerned."</p><p>Lisa sighed. "It's just...it's been a week. Ever since that shop closed. But it's like, something inside of me....is in mourning. Like something within me....lost something precious...."</p><p>Jisoo pursed her lips, trying to empathise. "Like....you lost someone who died?"</p><p>"Kinda? But it's way more intense than when my grandma died. There's just this empty, hollow feeling....I don't think I felt this way since high school when my—"</p><p>The doorbell rang and Jisoo leapt off the couch. "PIZZA'S HERE!"</p><p>Lisa quickly forgot about the dull ghostly ache in her chest once the pizzas were spread out on the table and they started devouring them.</p><p>"So, I was wondering," Jisoo said casually, "if you'd be up to accompany me for a drink at this bar..."</p><p>Lisa raised her head, pushing her glasses back. "No I'm not third-wheeling."</p><p>"Who said anything about third-wheeling?"</p><p>"This Kim Jennie CEO girl gonna be there. That makes me the third-wheel." Lisa shrugged.</p><p>"Okay, back up, when did I mention that Jennie was gonna be there?" Jisoo demanded righteously. Her friend gave her a patronising smile.</p><p>"Isn't she?" Lisa asked sweetly.</p><p>Jisoo huffed. "Well yeah she is."</p><p>"I'm not an idiot Jisoo. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that you have a hot date."</p><p>"Okay okay, I just want you to be there in case things turn sour or go south," Jisoo pleaded, "or I get kicked out of the bar and make a mess in front of her. You'll help me out right? Right?"</p><p>Lisa chewed thoughtfully. "What's in it for me?"</p><p>"Can't you just do it on a volunteer basis for the sake of charity or something," Jisoo groaned. "I am the charity, by the way."</p><p>"You're a stingy grinch."</p><p>"And you're a mean grinch."</p><p>"Whatever, I'll come and watch you make a mess of yourself," Lisa grumbled, hiding a secret smile when Jisoo hugged her tightly.</p><p>"Thanks dude. You're gonna have fun Friday, you'll see."</p><p>"Yeah, nothing beats the thrill of third-wheeling while my roommate is getting shagged."</p><p>"Oh shut up!"</p><p>&gt;</p><p>Friday arrived, with Jisoo and Lisa all dolled up and waiting at the bar, taking a few shots on the go.</p><p>"Hey!" Jennie appeared from amongst the crowd and stopped right in front of Jisoo with a wide grin on her face. "You made it!"</p><p>Jisoo grinned. "Sure I did. Aaaaand I got you a drink already!"</p><p>"Oooooh did you now?" Jennie drawled as she accepted the tequila glass. "And how did you know exactly what I like?"</p><p>"A little birdie happened to mention it sometime this week."</p><p>"I'm impressed. Are you sure you didn't add a little...extra ingredient?" Jennie asked, swirling the glass as the liquid sloshed. "My Mom always told me to beware hot strangers in a bar."</p><p>
  <em>Jennie Kim just called me hot?</em>
</p><p>The low lights, the heady beat, the rush of her first few shots, that damn smoky eye liner and there it was again, <em>that subtle lip bite</em>, was already turning Jisoo on and making her impatient. Jennie's indirect compliment sparked her confidence.</p><p>"Well, I could say the same for you, <em>babe,</em>" Jisoo said huskily, throwing caution to the wind. "My Mom always told me good girls are just bad girls who just haven't been caught yet. Which category do you think you fit in, Jennie?" She made sure to draw out the girl's name, leaning in next to her ear for good measure before sitting back on her stool for Jennie's move.</p><p>Jennie's eyes narrowed with interest. "You tell me."</p><p>Someone close by cleared their throat and the spell broke, the heat dissipated. Jisoo glared at Lisa who had her gaze fixed on her glass of soju.</p><p>"Right," Jennie said ahead of Jisoo, "I brought my business partner with me tonight...as a precaution..."</p><p><em>You tease</em>, Jisoo thought as Jennie brought forward the tall girl but strangely enough, she didn't feel any stabs of jealousy, because Jennie's dark eyes were immediately locked back on her own eyes.</p><p>"I hope you don't mind?" There seemed to be a hint of hesitation in Jennie's voice and Jisoo rushed to assure her.</p><p>"Oh no problem. I bought my own...precaution, with me."</p><p>She grinned, patting Lisa's shoulder. "What a coincidence that we thought of the same thing, huh? But then again, you really can't trust strangers these days..."</p><p>Jennie's smirk had returned, dialled up to full-blast as she raised the glass Jisoo handed her and swallowed the contents in one breath. "Quite, quite."</p><p>Meanwhile, the two 'precautions' were frozen like statues.</p><p>Lisa had been getting the same tight sensation as before, with the clenching increasing but not to the point that it got unbearable. She didn't comment about it, deciding to drink and drown her thoughts. But the moment the Jennie girl had stepped up to Jisoo and the taller girl behind her stepped out next to her, she couldn't help but stare.</p><p>For one reason, the sensation stopped—like someone flipped a switch—the moment her gaze collided with that of the orange-haired girl in fishnets, crop top and shorts.</p><p>For another, Jennie was pretty, certainly, but her friend was breath-taking.</p><p>Lisa and the other girl gawked at each other for an age before Jennie spoke her name. "Yah Park Chaeyoung, what's up? What's with your face? You look like you saw a ghost."</p><p>The orange-haired girl, Chaeyoung, shook her head and mumbled something that Lisa didn't quite catch—the thumping music was already giving her a headache.</p><p>"Hi..."</p><p>Chaeyoung held out a hand to her with a sweet smile on her face that displayed cute chubby cheeks.</p><p>"Nice to meet you, I'm Chaeyoung."</p><p>Lisa reached out to take her hand. "Lisa."</p><p>A spark of electricity flashed up her hand but Lisa brushed it off, chalking it up to static. Chaeyoung bought herself a drink and they sat quietly drinking and avoiding each other's gazes after a few attempts at conversation that pattered out. Lisa was frustrated with herself. She prided on being a natural conversationalist, the ice-breaker supremo, the life of a social meeting.</p><p>
  <em>So why was she feeling so out of depth right now?</em>
</p><p>And by the looks of it, Lisa wasn't the only one seemingly ruffled.</p><p>"Have we met before?" Chaeyoung suddenly rounded on her. "I have the weirdest feeling, like deja vu...."</p><p>Come to think of it, this Park Chaeyoung did look familiar. Lisa wracked her brain for answers through the dim alcohol haze, regretting consuming the shots so early.</p><p>Her eyes fell to the girl's neck where a small, gleaming letter R hung on a chain.</p><p>And then the pieces all came together in a flash.</p><p>"Rosiepoop?" Lisa exclaimed.</p><p>Chaeyoung's head whipped around. "Nal-Nallalisa?!"</p><p>Lisa started laughing—her best friend from high school was sitting right next to her.</p><p>"Rosie oh my gosh!"</p><p>"Lali! Come here!" Chaeyoung was laughing too as she opened her arms. Lisa willingly fell into the hug, clutching on to Chaeyoung for dear life.</p><p>Chaeyoung squeezed her close too and in that moment, the sounds and scents of the bar died away, the people vanished and it was just two souls coming together and finding each other as the knots in the red thread of fate came undone slowly, slowly...but not quite yet.</p><p>Oblivious to all the machinations of Fate, Lisa inhaled in Chaeyoung's scent, barely able to comprehend why her heart felt so strangely at peace after so many years.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>
  <em>Her Rosie had left for Sydney to study there as per her parents' wishes, leaving behind a heartbroken Lisa. Not that Rosie had been exactly thrilled about the idea of leaving either, but the college she was going to had offered her a scholarship that was too good to miss on.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was Lisa who had encouraged her to go for it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lali, we'll be so far apart," Rosie said tearfully as they laid on the grass in the park. It was their favourite haunt—they would lay on the grass beneath the clear blue sky, just watching the cherry blossoms rain down like soft pink snow.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know," Lisa pouted, pinching her nose beneath her glasses. She had been turning over every idea, every option that could help them out of this situation, but came up with nothing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I shouldn't go," Rosie said fiercely, lacing their fingers together. "I should tell them to stay right here!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She turned to the silent girl next to her. "Say something, idiot."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yah you're the idiot!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No you are! You're a parrot too!" Rosie fired back, pouncing upon the younger.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Am not!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You are!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Rosie!" Lisa giggled, as she writhed and struggled beneath the older girl pinning her down and tickling her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Rosie sat back with a grin. "There, you're smiling."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She flicked Lisa's forehead. "You're always thinking too hard."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She sighed upon seeing Lisa had fallen silent again. The bespectacled girl was looking up at her with tears welling in her eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Rosie," Lisa began quietly, taking her hand. "I think you should go to Sydney."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her friend's jaw dropped. "But...but..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't want you to," Lisa confessed, "but I will hate myself if I'm the one holding you back. It shouldn't be that way. Friends are meant to be your stepping stone on to something greater. They're meant to support you, to help you achieve your goals....at the cost of...the friendship itself."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Rosie tilted her head, her bottom lip trembling. "What are you saying...."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lisa closed her eyes. "One thing I would hate is to try and keep our long-distance friendship. I think...it's the saddest thing to gradually drift away when you're no longer together. So....so...better nip it in the bud..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She couldn't continue, not when her Rosie was openly bawling. Lisa sat up, holding her hands.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"D-don't cry! R-Rosie please..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"This is all so unfair!" Rosie sulked, "I wish I was taking you with me! I bet you'd fit in my suitcase."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Rosie don't frown, you're too pretty," Lisa giggled as she smoothed her friend's brow. Her shoulders slumped when she sighed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I think you know what I'm about to say—"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Please no. I wouldn't be able to," Rosie whimpered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But don't you agree with me?" Lisa asked gently. "It's better to have a clean break then gradually fading. It's better to cut off all contact, with the hope that we might reunite one day. I believe we will."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You...you think so?" Rosie said with wide eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course!" Lisa laughed, ignoring the constriction in her throat that was almost making her choke, "we're like soulmates. They always find a way back to each other...."</em>
</p><p>&gt;</p><p>And so thus it was that after years of radio silence, the stars aligned for them to meet again.</p><p>Now that they had discovered each other's identities, conversation was non-stop; they chattered nineteen to a dozen, catching up on years' worth of experiences, memories and emotions. The drinks flowed as freely as their bickering—they hadn't changed one bit.</p><p>"You haven't changed one bit," Lisa said fondly, poking Chaeyoung's cheek. "Poke, poke, chipmunk."</p><p>"Not one bit?" Chaeyoung asked with a raised eyebrow. "You dare say that to me after all the work I put in at the gym?"</p><p>Come to think of it, physically, Chaeyoung had matured and blossomed into womanhood.</p><p><em>The Lord is testing me</em>, Lisa thought when her eyes shyly slipped down to the girl's (generous) curves and dips.</p><p>"I'm gonna take that as a no," Chaeyoung grinned. "If it's any consolation, I think you changed too. And you're not wearing glasses...it gives you a whole new vibe."</p><p>Her thumb stroked Lisa's cheekbone, leaving a trail of warmth as she hooked a finger behind Lisa's ear to tuck away a stray piece of hair. "It's like my dorky Lalisa is replaced by this gorgeous smoking hot girl."</p><p>Lisa's heart slammed against her ribs as lewd images flashed in front of her mind's eye. <em>Stop thinking stop thinking this is your best friend stop stop stop you filthy depraved—</em></p><p>"Your Korean has improved so much too," Chaeyoung said, sounding proud, "I never thought I'd see you speaking like a native. You used to muddle up words so much back when we met."</p><p>"Yeah, at least I had you as my trusty translator though," Lisa smiled weakly, still recovering from the lewd onslaught of images that had suddenly invaded her mind. <em>Must be the alcohol.</em></p><p>"Hey, how come you don't go by Rosie anymore?" Lisa asked abruptly.</p><p>Chaeyoung smiled. "Silly. Rosie was just for the two of us. I introduce myself as Chaeyoung to everyone else. And I didn't recognise you so yeah." She tilted her head. "Didn't you know?"</p><p>"What, really?"</p><p>"Yes idiot. I liked that basically I was the only one you could speak English with. So with you, I used my English name. Also because it reminds me of roses, my favourite flowers."</p><p><em>Roses</em>, Lisa remembered suddenly. <em>The flower shop—</em></p><p>But before she could open her mouth, she was jolted forward by a hard push in the back.</p><p>"Oi watch it!" Lisa exclaimed as she swivelled in her seat angrily only to pause in mortification.</p><p>Jennie was practically humping Jisoo, grinding dirtily in the latter's lap as they engaged in a heated lip-lock battle, thrashing and writhing around like a pair of eels.</p><p>"Get a room!" Lisa shouted desperately but her voice came out like a croak.</p><p>She couldn't even tear her eyes away from the scene and she knew she wasn't getting any sleep tonight—those haunting moans, wet slurps and lewd groans were going to be imprinted in the back of her head for a long, long time.</p><p>Luckily, Chaeyoung came to the rescue as she took Lisa's hand. "Let's go for some air."</p><p>"But...but...we should stop them....other people...."</p><p>"Are doing the same thing," Chaeyoung pointed out to several other couples making out around them. "Come on, let's go get some fresh air."</p><p>Lisa perked up. "I know a place!"</p><p>&gt;</p><p>"Lali, wow," Chaeyoung breathed, taking in the city lights all around her. A few bright stars peered down at them from the heavens. "This is so cool, you can see the city from up here!"</p><p>"It's beautiful huh?" Lisa smiled contentedly, welcoming the cool night air which woke her mind up. The bar's owner was Jisoo's relative; he had often let her and Jisoo come up on the roof for Jisoo to sober up safely, away from any lecherous perverts or muggers.</p><p>Chaeyoung nodded rapidly, taking out her phone for an impromptu photo session. Lisa quietly slipped out her own phone, grinning to herself when she snapped a few candid pictures of the beaming girl with hair on fire.</p><p>"Hey, what are you doing?"</p><p>"Taking pictures," Lisa chuckled. "You're really beautiful."</p><p>Chaeyoung ducked her head away shyly. "Not really."</p><p>Lisa's eyes widened. "Yes you are!"</p><p>She stepped closer to the elder girl. "Why don't you believe me?"</p><p>"I'm not saying you're lying....but really, I'm just average," Chaeyoung said flustered. Lisa shook her head.</p><p>
  <em>Oh Rosie....you were pretty before but now...my heart beats so hard...</em>
</p><p>"Hey let's do the Titanic pose!" she heard Chaeyoung say. The orange-haired girl had already stepped up to the railing with her arms spread wide. She flapped her arms like wings, glancing back at Lisa. "Come on Lali!"</p><p>And how could Lisa ever deny her?</p><p>Wondering why she had turned shy all of a sudden, Lisa hesitantly wrapped her arms around Chaeyoung's middle.</p><p>"Jack, we're flying!" Chaeyoung laughed as she swayed. Lisa swayed with her, fitting her chin over Chaeyoung's shoulder.</p><p>
  <em>Why did she feel so comfortable yet anxious at the same time close to her chipmunk?</em>
</p><p>Lisa smiled now, shutting her eyes as she remembered how much the older girl used to yell and pout when Lisa called her by that nickname. On the spur of the moment, Lisa pecked Chaeyoung's cheek.</p><p>Chaeyoung abruptly stopped swaying and hummed in surprise. "Oh..." she said, touching her face. The movement caused her hair to fall away from her shoulder, revealing the thin chain.</p><p>Lisa remembered the flower shop again.</p><p>"Rosie, the flower business you mentioned," Lisa muttered, "you didn't happen to name the shop <em>roses are rosie</em>, did you?"</p><p>Chaeyoung nodded, leaning on to the railings as Lisa copied her position—both of them looked out on the city that never sleeps.</p><p>"It's the flagship shop," Chaeyoung said wistfully. "We had to close it down though, 'cos we're expanding like I mentioned back there, and well Jennie thinks we'll soon be having bigger, better equipped shops so closing this one would save us in the long run. She handles the business side of things while I'm...more of hands on, even though the business idea was entirely mine."</p><p>"You're not happy," Lisa observed quietly.</p><p>Chaeyoung gave a wry smile. "You can tell that easily?"</p><p>"I know you Rosie," Lisa said, "you like interacting with people, being there on the ground instead of with the higher-ups in a fancy suit, like Jennie. You like knuckling down in the dirt and getting things done at a slower, natural pace. And you love nature, it's your calling. Not stuck in an office, lording it over your minions."</p><p>"Jennie is great," Chaeyoung said, "but....I feel like she and I don't see the same end-goal. She wouldn't hear of being the sole director—she said it would be cheating me out of what's rightfully mine. And although I can see her reasoning, I honestly wouldn't mind but....the decision's been done."</p><p>"Nothing can change it?"</p><p>Chaeyoung shrugged. "Not unless Jennie relents...but she's stubborn and headstrong. She tells me that my phase won't last, that I'll soon slip into my director role. After all, I did get my business degree. I was groomed for that kind of thing."</p><p>"But it's not your dream."</p><p>Lisa was watching her closely, her eyes soft. "It's your life to live you know? I mean, I'm not one to push or anything—"</p><p>"What? You pushed me to leave you," Chaeyoung scoffed. Lisa stared at her.</p><p>"I was mad, "Chaeyoung whispered, "and then I was sad....and then I realised that you're wiser... yet mistaken."</p><p>She turned to the transfixed girl. "You were right to push me towards obtaining something that would help me have a more concrete future, even at the cost of our friendship."</p><p>Chaeyoung threaded a hand in Lisa's. "I understood your reasoning. Friends won't always be there for you, people come and people go, and you'll be on your own before you know it. But I do know this—what we have is too special to let go Lisa. I can't explain it but I know it, in my heart...."</p><p>She shook her head. "It's a deep, deep feeling, like we're...connected, somehow."</p><p>Lisa was thinking very hard, assembling together the pieces to the puzzle like she did with the noticeboard.</p><p>"Perhaps I can try to explain what you're feeling then," Lisa said quietly, squeezing Chaeyoung's hand. "You said you lived in the apartment above the shop?"</p><p>"Yeah, ever since I moved back to Seoul, like six months ago."</p><p>Lisa paused, eyes in the distance.</p><p>"I used to walk by your shop," she began, "but I had no idea what it was. I was always in a hurry, for some reason always late, always having little accidents—throughout those six months, it's as though something was trying to stop me, to make me realise something. There was also the weird tight fleeting sensation in my chest—"</p><p>"I had it too!"</p><p>Lisa's heart beat faster. The puzzle was settling and she could almost glimpse the whole picture. The answer was at hand...</p><p>"It took me a while to actually act on this feeling, because like I said, I was always in a hurry and the feeling lasted for a few moments, the moment I zipped past by your shop. I always chalked it up to just running exertion. But then one day, not so long ago, I discovered the sensation only happened when I was in front of your shop..."</p><p>Lisa gave a wry smile. "The clues were all there. But I was like a donkey with blinkers. And when I was finally about to do something, it's like everything was conspiring to keep me away. Then just last week, when I finally had my day off.....the shop was closed and empty. And what was worse...."</p><p>She pointed at her chest. "It hurt so bad...like I lost someone, you know when like someone dies? I've been reflecting about this feeling and Rosie, the sensation of loss was identical to the inconsolable sadness I felt when you left."</p><p>Chaeyoung sucked in a breath. "I didn't feel anything either from that day on but...yes, that sadness....same....I couldn't understand why."</p><p>"Then allow me, Rosie," Lisa said firmly. "Just one last question: when we met just now, back at the bar....did the emptiness suddenly disappear, like it was never there?"</p><p>The orange-haired beauty's eyes shone by the harsh glare of the bright city lights. "Yes."</p><p>Lisa smiled and brought up their interlaced fingers.</p><p>"We're soulmates, Park Chaeyoung," she said simply.</p><p>It was as if the very air itself was holding its breath in anticipation, the atmosphere charging with a strange frenetic energy that sizzled and sparked.</p><p>Chaeyoung stared right back at Lisa as the latter gripped on tightly to their hands, bracing herself for.... <em>Laughter? Ridicule? Denial?</em></p><p>"Lali, you're so stupid."</p><p>Lisa's eyes popped open. To her horror, Chaeyoung's eyes were welling with tears.</p><p>"R-Rosie no no don't cry, please don't cry!" Lisa rushed to cup Chaeyoung's face swiping the tears away with her thumbs. "Sssh ssh, I'm here, I'm here—"</p><p>"You're here now," Chaeyoung said fiercely, "but what about years ago? Lisa, I can't believe you just let me go like that...you yourself said we were soulmates back then, and I'm only now just remembering...I hate this stupid game of nearly and almost but never quite there. Just...just..."</p><p>"Rosie, what's up?" Lisa asked, confused by the other girl's agitation—she wasn't making sense.</p><p>"What's up?" Chaeyoung echoed. "Lisa,<em> I was in love with you."</em></p><p>The tension broke like a vase that shatters into fine dust once it hits the floor.</p><p>A whole minute passed. Sixty seconds of dead air.</p><p>Lisa's eyes grew round, her mouth falling open.</p><p>"You were my first love," Chaeyoung confessed in anguish, "but I couldn't do anything....I couldn't confess because I was not sure what your feelings were for me, I couldn't even come out to my parents, you know how devoutly religious they are, it would have killed them. Absolutely no one knew that I was gay before I left for Sydney. I couldn't ruin our friendship, I just had to listen to you like an idiot and pretend I'll either meet you one day or get over you and oh trust me, I tried, and I thought it worked but after Sooyoung left, everything just came crashing back because Lali, <em>you're the only for me.</em>"</p><p>Chaeyoung heaved after venting out the accumulated rage and frustration, years worth of it.</p><p>Lisa was still staring, frozen in utter shock.</p><p>For all her deductions, this last piece was a complete game-changer—a ground-breaking, world-shattering piece that finally let her see everything in its entirety, the whole puzzle in all of its glory: <em>they were soulmates and Rosie was in love with her, and she still did.</em></p><p>"I suppose it's over now," Chaeyoung mumbled, backing away from Lisa. The younger was still catatonic, still processing the overwhelming avalanche of revelations.</p><p>But Chaeyoung didn't know of Lisa's epiphany. The broken-hearted often distort what they see, only to have fear, sadness and hatred reflected back at them from every object's surface that they lay their eyes on.</p><p>And fearing the disgust and rejection in the eyes of her beloved, Chaeyoung made to flee, stinging tears blurring her vision.</p><p>
  <em>It was all over. It was all ruined.</em>
</p><p>A strong grip on her wrist jerked her back. Chaeyoung gasped as two arms wrapped around her waist and she found herself face to face with Lisa's intense stare.</p><p>"Lali wha—"</p><p>Lisa kissed her.</p><p>She kissed her like she had meant to do all those years ago, when they were merely fifteen. She kissed her like she had longed to every single moment when Chaeyoung laughed, smiled, giggled, bickered or fought with her. She kissed her like she had vowed she would on the day of her departure, only to chicken out and run away home, crying her eyes out.</p><p>But best of all was Chaeyoung kissing her back just as hard, just as passionately, just as fiercely.</p><p>She cradled Lisa's face as the embers inside Lisa sparked back to life, blazing hot as an inferno with every heady swipe of Chaeyoung's warm lips against her own.</p><p>They poured years' worth of emotions and fears and above all, love, into the kiss. Both of them went weak at the knees, stumbling against each other.</p><p>Finally they pulled apart for air, ragged breaths and pants mingling in between them but Lisa didn't let Chaeyoung go far—she caressed the back of the elder's neck, touching foreheads.</p><p>"Lalisa..." Chaeyoung breathed.</p><p>Lisa's eyes flickered up to hers, flashing a quick grin. "I was an idiot. All this time, I thought you were the one who didn't have feelings for me. All this time I thought I was the one saving our friendship..."</p><p>"You pushed me to go away on purpose?" Chaeyoung said in realisation. Lisa hung her head.</p><p>"I did indeed want you to take the scholarship. But I was also afraid of my feelings—they just wouldn't go away, Rosie. And with our background....and Korea being what it is....I thought it was wrong. I was scared, and I'm so so sorry....." She couldn't even bring herself to face the love of her life. "Forgive me?"</p><p>Warm hands cupped her cheeks and then Chaeyoung pressed a single kiss to her dishevelled forehead. "It's impossible not to. I'm sad you couldn't fight for the both of us but I didn't try that hard either. We were both scared. We were both cowards."</p><p>"I'm the biggest idiot."</p><p>"That makes two of us," Chaeyoung smiled tenderly, "two idiots in love."</p><p>"Let's make that soulmates," Lisa chuckled, "it sounds more romantic—and don't even tell me otherwise, I know you love the notion."</p><p>"You know me well," Chaeyoung said happily as she dipped her head to plant a kiss on Lisa's lips.</p><p>"Of course I do," Lisa said gamely. Her eyes twinkled. "I'm your soulmate."</p><p>&gt;</p><p>Humans, it seems, are always concerned with the aftermath of a story, huh? It seems it's not enough to witness how two people managed to break through the cycle and come together as one. It is not enough watching the tangle of red threads slowly unravel.</p><p>Very well then, I suppose giving you an extra peek can't hurt: needless to say, Chaeyoung and Lisa established themselves as a couple, zero care given about the public's perception of them, given Chaeyoung's status and public visibility.</p><p>They had the backing of Jennie Kim, the other half of the Park-Kim duo, herself announcing she was in a relationship just weeks after the steamy meeting in the bar with Jisoo. It was clear the both of them had something good going on and Jisoo was more than thrilled when the younger girl asked her to be her girlfriend—she was ecstatic.</p><p>Lisa complained to her girlfriend how Jisoo bounded around the apartment jumping off every surface and screaming in a pillow, basically causing a very big ruckus that pissed her off. To console her, Chaeyoung had reported that things weren't much better at her end—she had to endure a similarly elated Jennie Kim jumping around and punching the air at the office as she danced on desks.</p><p>Many rumours of the Director finally losing her head started circulating after that particular incident, but Jennie Kim being Jennie Kim didn't give a single fck.</p><p>"I'm so glad we're low-key babe," Lisa sighed over the phone, unaware that Chaeyoung was inwardly squealing— months later, and she still couldn't get used to Lisa calling her pet names.</p><p>The four girls also became fast friends, hanging out together whenever possible, even having double dates sometimes.</p><p>And oh about Chaeyoung's business dilemma, don't worry, I got you covered: after the night of the confession, and after Jennie's hangover passed the next morning, and after being regaled with every single unwanted detail of what Jisoo did to Jennie's body, Chaeyoung sat her business partner down for A Talk.</p><p>It was a Long and Serious Talk that lasted no more ten minutes.</p><p>"Just like that?" Chaeyoung said, mouth open. "Are you sure you're still not hungover?"</p><p>"Chaeng, I've known you for a long time. And this last few weeks, you haven't been yourself. Okay yes, you were missing your soulmate bla bla, all fine and dandy," Jennie told her seriously. "BUT I think....perhaps I may have rushed ahead without actually considering your feelings. I simply bulldozed over them because it was convenient for me to do so, preferring for you to adapt to me rather than compromising together. Which hey, isn't very nice of me now, is it? Well, we can rectify that."</p><p>She smoothed her hair. "If you won't agree to be a director or CEO with me, I've been thinking....how about at least I have you as a ground manager? You'd be the in between person, the mediator between the administration and the actual workers in the establishment. So you'll have a hand in the actual flowering business as well as sending in your reports. What do you say?"</p><p>Jennie didn't panic when she saw Chaeyoung's bottom lip tremble and the inevitable tears fall. "You're welcome Chaeyoung."</p><p>The younger girl hugged her tightly in gratitude. "Please thank Jisoo for me, whatever she did to you is nothing short of magic."</p><p>"I'll say, she's like—"</p><p>"I get it I get it," Chaeyoung said quickly, reluctant for reminders.</p><p>"So.... you reunited with Lisa huh?.....I'm assuming you'll be moving in with her someday?" Jennie said casually.</p><p>Chaeyoung's eyes narrowed. "Already want to boot me out, Jen?"</p><p>"No no no, not at all!" Jennie said hastily, making Chaeyoung laugh.</p><p>&gt;</p><p>She and Lisa did move in together, once they found the perfect apartment months later, allowing for Jisoo to immediately move in with her girlfriend.</p><p>"Jennie was super helpful with packing," Chaeyoung giggled later as they cuddled on the mattress in the middle of the room. "Like, she packed up my things my things so fast she was like Road Runner from the Looney Toons!"</p><p>Their new dwelling still needed to be decorated and it still needed to be filled with all of their possessions. Soon, it would be the place they can call home together.</p><p>"Jisoo nagged me non-stop," Lisa said, stroking the top of Chaeyoung's head that laid just beneath her chin. "She was extra eager to get to Jennie's."</p><p>"Those two are insatiable...."</p><p>"Tell me about it." Lisa shuddered. "Actually no, don't. I can't ever look at noodles the same way after that incident-which-shall-not-be-named."</p><p>Chaeyoung laughed again before tilting her head back to kiss Lisa, holding her girlfriend's chin down for better access. When they parted, Chaeyoung's gleaming eyes gazed up dreamily at Lisa.</p><p>"I love you," Chaeyoung said tenderly. "And I can't believe we're here, we really made it this far."</p><p>"You can always pretend it's a dream," Lisa told her, "and then when you wake up it will be even better, because I'm real and I'm here, and I'm not leaving, Rosiepoop."</p><p>"Why must you always ruin a romantic moment—"</p><p>"Because it's too cheesy—"</p><p>"You love cheesy! You watched The Notebook eight times!"</p><p>"Only because you were watching it for those eight times! What was I supposed to do, say no?"</p><p>"Whipped," Chaeyoung mumbled as she settled back with her cheek resting on Lisa's collarbone. She was glad it was dark—she blushed too easily.</p><p>"Amen to that," Lisa smiled. She pressed a fond kiss to her girlfriend's head. "Oh and Rosie?"</p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>"I love you too."</p><p> </p>
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